TRock82

Try Boca Burgers black bean patties. I also love zucchini pizza bites. Preheat oven to 350. Slice zuchinini and heat up for 1 min in a skillet. Flip it over and repeat for one minute. Remove and place on a baking sheet, top with marinara, turkey pepperoni and a pinch of FF mozzarella and bake until cheese bubbles (usually less than 5 min). Sooooo good and easy. Even my picky kids love it! Also I found some good sites for bariatric cooking: http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/recipes/ http://twosleevers.com Hope this helps!

I know the feeling. I was nervous when I was going through the process, but was oddly, completely calm the night before and the day of surgery. Surgery day to me was a blur. After getting checked in and blood work done I remember sitting in the pre surgery bays with my mom and just talking. When they took me back I was talked through everything and even joked with my Dr. The anesthesiologist told me to count backwards from 20 and I got to 17 and then I woke up in recovery. My pain was non-existent post op. I was up walking several times through the day and night. I wasn't able to drink anything until 1 day post op, so I had an IV at first. I was scared to try anything but took my time and was able to tolerate some broth and Protein Gelatin. I went home to my mom's for a day and then back home with the husband and kids. Day 2 i had incision pain but it was controllable with medication. It took me about 2 weeks before I didn't feel like sleeping all day, which is normal because your body just went through a major operation and is trying to heal. All in all, I don't regret it. I tried to eat bread and got sick, so I don't even crave it anymore. I have hit a slight plateau due to a small case of dehydration and I'm lifting weights in the gym now, so I'm not expecting the scale to go down as much day to day. I'm in Oklahoma, where it was 102 a couple weeks ago and I walked outside a lot since that was the only exercise I could do, so my Dr. thinks the dehydration was due to that. Other than that episode, I have had no problems getting my fluids in and just remember to sip, sip, sip! Big gulps hurt! I hope this helps! Best decision I've made! Sending well wishes for you and just know that you'll make the right choice for you! Thank you! It can be tough, I had 2 bites of banana cream pie on my stepson's birthday, but my tastebuds are different now. I don't binge on sweets, I try to enjoy the taste and take my time. It's still odd to my brain, but it's working so far! How are you feeling since surgery? So far so good! Except for one minor case of dehydration (see my long response above), I have never felt better! Already having to find smaller clothes and lifting weights 3-4 times a week. I really want to make a concerted effort to tone, so that maybe it'll help with skin firming in the future, but we'll see what happens! I'm down a little over 31lbs and keeping on! I had my post op and my Dr. was very happy with where I was! How are you?

Thank you! How did it go? Sending prayers for a speedy recovery your way!

That's awesome! Congrats and keep me posted on your progress!

Hi Giana, I'm also fairly new to VSG surgery at only 2.5 weeks post op. I know your frustrations, as I was previously a lap band patient several years ago. The main key is to keep the big picture in mind, your goal. Take one day at a time and don't beat yourself up over the past. I went to a wedding 1.5 weeks post op and the temptation to have BBQ, wedding cake and alcohol was unreal, but I know that I'm unhappy with how I look, so I sipped a Water and had a few sips of lemonade. As a reward, my husband took me to my favorite mexican restaurant afterwards, where I ordered chicken tortilla Soup and asked them to just give me the broth. It tasted the same without all the extra stuff that I couldn't have! Give yourself mini pats on the back like that! This is just as much a mental game as it is a physical and emotional one! I'm a nurse and I work 12-15 hour shifts so I understand how hard it is to balance. Have a water bottle at your desk and sip, sip, sip all day. Pack and preplan your meals and Snacks. If you have a sweet tooth, try the Chobani yogurt packs, they made new ones called Coco-Loco (come with sliced almonds and dark chocolate bits) and Key Lime Pie (come with graham cracker crumbles) and I promise they do not taste like greek yogurt! I drink a green smoothie in the morning that I love, it tastes like banana! It's 4oz spinach, 1c. diced pineapple, 1c. vanilla greek yogurt, 1 whole banana, 1-2 scoops any plain Protein powder and 1 tbsp honey. Blend, blend, blend and add a little ice if needed to make it colder. I'm still on soft foods, so my lunch is tomato soup with a little ricotta, and my dinner is scrambled eggs with spinach. Snacks are colby jack cheese sticks, yogurt, cottage cheese mixed with avocado (don't judge me lol) and applesauce with cinnamon. Find what you like and tweak it. The biggest thing to know is that you can do this! I believe in you! Let's get you back on track girl!

Try Dr. Greg Ratliff in Tulsa at Plastic Surgery Center of Tulsa. He's awesome! He did my lift and augmentation 2 years ago and has done several of my friends and all have had great results! Best of luck!

Good morning! I am a newbie sleever who lives in Broken Arrow, OK right outside of Tulsa! Glad to see a local group thread going! I was sleeved on August 4th, 2014 by Dr. Luis Gorospe and am right under 30lb weight loss. I'm feeling great and have had no complications, and would love to get to know some of you VSG'ers in my area to set up an accountability group, go for walks/jogs, trade recipes, Celebrate milestones etc. If anyone is interested, please let me know! I'm a travel nurse but am off until mid September, so right now accountability is key!

Yeah you!! Good job! Try room temp drinks and soups, maybe that will help with the spasms? I had them when my water was too cold. Hope you're well!

Thank you!

Thanks good luck with your surgery! You'll love it!

Good morning! I had my surgery 2 weeks ago today on August 4th, and am officially down 26lbs! I also survived my first social setting...I went to a wedding yesterday and was able to resist BBQ, cake and alcohol all just by will power! I sipped a water and a few sips of lemonade and I was fine! I get to move on to full liquids today so I'm excited to try some food other than broths, protein shakes and clear liquids lol. How are all of you other August sleevers doing?!

I'm also 2 weeks postop and I am tired all the time too! I literally can sleep for 10-12 hours every 24 hours. I think it's just part of the healing process. Our bodies have been through a lot. I have my post op on Wednesday and will mention it to my Doc but I'm not too concerned about it. I think once we begin getting more substance nutritionally that our energy should improve also! Your body can only do so much on protein shakes and clear liquids! Best of luck on your journey!!

I'm also scheduled for 8/4! Amen on the normal towel thing! I love the spa but dread the towels and robes. Lol. I'm looking forward to fitting in a plane seat, not sweating just bc I walked into a different temperature room, not avoiding looking at pictures of myself and being able to have more energy! Best of luck to you!!

August 4th!